The palace is particularly lively today. Big red lanterns are hung all over the palace gate, and red carpets are laid directly from the palace gate to the palace hall.
The guests who came to the palace to attend the annual banquet today were all people of a certain status in the Daning Kingdom, so everyone was dressed in formal attire.
As soon as Luo Lan got off the carriage, Leng Yu came to greet her. He took her hand directly, as gentle as an eagle protecting his baby.
Luo Lan always felt that this was a little inappropriate. She wanted to pull her hand back, but he held it even tighter.
He strode forward, and she followed closely behind him.
When they entered the palace gate, Yu Qiaoqiao, who was walking behind them, caught up with her and greeted her.
"Princess Yu..."
She raised her eyes and saw the friendly-looking Miss Yu, and immediately squinted her eyes and smiled softly.
"Miss Yu is here too..."
Yu Qiaoqiao nodded with a smile. The moment she looked up and saw Leng Yu, her face suddenly turned red for no reason. When she saw him, she felt like she couldn't take her eyes off him.
Luo Lan saw her eyes fixed on Leng Yu's face, and Leng Yu frowned awkwardly, so she quickly spoke to resolve the situation.
"Miss Yu, this is my husband, Leng Yu, Prince Yu. I don't know if you have recognized him before."
Yu Qiaoqiao finally came to her senses, shook her head and smiled bitterly.
How could they not recognize him? When she first entered the palace and saw Leng Yu, he had already lived in her heart. Her father, Yu Shiming, had intended to marry Yu Qiaoqiao to Leng Yu and had even asked the emperor for permission to grant the marriage. If he hadn't suddenly gotten into trouble, she would have been the wife standing beside him right now!
Thinking of this, Yu Qiaoqiao sighed secretly. After exchanging a few words with Luo Lan, she hurried away with the maid. She felt that she did not have the courage to look Leng Yu in the eye. His eyes made her unable to extricate herself once she looked at them.
Today's annual banquet is held in Baohedian, which is where the royal family holds large banquets.
When Leng Yu and Luo Lan came in, the place had already been surrounded by a rectangular shape, and the tables covered with soft gold cloth were all occupied. Luo Lan looked around, and she really wanted to find a quiet corner to sit down, but when she saw her come in, Concubine Chang, whether out of kindness or intention, waved to her and motioned her to sit over there.
Although Luo Lan didn't like her, she saw that the place where she was sitting was full of women, so she could only whisper to Leng Yu:
"Husband, I'm going over there..."
Leng Yu frowned and glanced at Concubine Chang with a gloomy expression. There was only one seat in the corner behind Concubine Chang, and that seat looked like a maid's seat.
He held her hand tightly and never let go. His handsome eyes were slightly raised as he looked at her from the side and whispered softly in her ear.
"My lady, you don't have to please anyone, just follow me."
As he spoke, he took her hand and sat down next to him. Seeing this, Concubine Chang's face suddenly turned cold.
The seating arrangement at the royal annual banquet is very particular. Generally, seats are arranged according to the status of these people. The person sitting on the right side is the King of Zhennan, who is sitting at the bottom of the golden dragon table. During the period when Leng Yun was under house arrest, Leng Yu sat next to Leng Zian, and the seat that should have belonged to Leng Yu is now occupied by Luo Lan. Next to him are Leng Xi, Leng Ming, and then Grand Tutor Wu, Wu Hong, Yu Shiming and other important officials of higher status in the court.
On the left, sitting next to the golden dragon table were Concubine Chang, Concubine Li, Liu Dechang, Huang Shixiong, and important officials in the palace.
The rest of the concubines and ministers' families sat in the back, including Yu Qiaoqiao, whose beautiful eyes looked towards Leng Yu from time to time. Although Leng Yu never looked at her, the redness on her cheeks was still clearly visible.
At this time, Liu Xi's voice, like a duck's voice, rang out.
"The Emperor has arrived!"
Hearing this, everyone stood up and saluted the emperor in unison.
"Your Majesty, good luck..."
The emperor came in dressed in a golden dragon robe, his ordinary clothes, with a hint of shrewdness in his eyes.
He came to the Golden Dragon Table at the center, sat down with his clothes swung, looked at everyone, and said with a gentle expression:
"Today is New Year's Day, everyone, please sit down!"
After hearing this, everyone returned to their seats.
At this time, the emperor glanced at the people sitting below him and said loudly with a serious face:
"Today is the annual banquet of the Daning Kingdom. I am deeply pleased that all the princes have come here from afar."
Having said that, he glanced at Prince Zhennan. This brother, whom he had not seen for twenty years, looked much older.
Prince Zhennan also noticed his gaze. He narrowed his eyes, clasped his fists and said with a cold look:
"I haven't seen you for many years, and your majesty remains as heroic as ever. This brings me great peace. I wish you a new year and a healthy body. I also wish the people of Daning peace and prosperity."
"Hahaha!"
The emperor looked up to the sky and let out a long roar. This laughter did not come from the heart, but it seemed to shake the sky.
After laughing, he looked at the Prince of Zhennan, his face serious yet somewhat gentle.
"Your Majesty, your words are heartwarming. I haven't seen you for twenty years, and I'm very pleased to see you looking stronger and healthier. However, I heard that you still don't have any children. This truly makes me sad!"
When the emperor said this, Leng Zian's face turned pale. He said this in public, obviously mocking himself for not having children.
In the past, he would have been furious and walked away.
But not anymore, because he has his own ambitions.
He knew that the emperor would bring up this matter, so he wanted to bring Xiaozhi with him in the morning.
Thinking of this, he raised his head and laughed triumphantly.
"Hahaha…"
Hearing his inexplicable laughter, the emperor was a little confused about what was going on.
After the laughter stopped, Leng Zian raised his head proudly, looked at the emperor with burning eyes, and said loudly with a ruddy face:
"Thank you, Your Majesty, for your concern for me. However, I already have a son. He's smart, adorable, and clever. He looks just like me, brave and powerful. He's sure to be a general in the future."
"oh?"
Hearing him say this, the emperor's brows tightened for no reason, and a hint of sarcasm and contempt appeared on his face.
It is a well-known fact that Leng Zi'an has no children, but now he says that he has a son. Anyone with a discerning eye can tell that he is lying.
Then, the emperor raised his eyebrows, looked at him with curiosity, and said with disdain:
"Since you have a son, why don't you bring him here for me and everyone else to see? Let him meet Yu'er, Xi'er, and Ming'er. Is that inconvenient?"
The emperor's words were full of doubt. Leng Zian pulled the corner of his mouth, cleared his throat, and said proudly:
"My son is at Prince Yu's mansion, but he is still young and doesn't like occasions like this, so I didn't bring him along..."
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